Pastors and Church Leaders
For Pastors and Church Leaders
The Children of Issachar are acclaimed as those who knew the times and seasons in Israel and therefore stood in a place of leadership among their brethren. It is imperative for Church leaders to track the movement of God in our Day.
When God Does a New Thing
Isaiah 43:18-19 implies that when God does a new thing, there is a requirement among His people to both see (awareness) and perceive (depth of understanding/comprehension).
“See I am doing a new thing… do you not perceive it?”
2 Peter 1:12 references the concept of Present Truth – implying that which God is doing in a particular time/season/epoch. This can be further appreciated from Hebrews 1:1-2 which brings out the fact that God manifests Himself differently in different seasons. It is the same Kingdom that is advancing but it has different expressions in different dispensations.
Is it possible for one to be saved, Spirit-filled, full of zeal and yet miss out on the Present Truth? The instruction of Apollos by Priscilla and Aquilla suggests that it is a great likelihood. (Acts 18:24-26). What were the qualities of Apollos?
- He was a learned/eloquent man
- He had a thorough knowledge of scriptures (NKJV defines him as “mighty in scriptures”)
- He had been instructed in the way of the LORD. (See Matthew 13:51-52)
- He spoke with great fervor/he spoke and taught the accurately the things of the LORD.
- He spoke boldly.
…and yet – he only knew of the baptism of John. Despite all the above great qualifications, Apollos zeal was deficient in knowledge – thank God for the ministry of Priscilla and Aquilla. They explained to him the way of God more accurately/more adequately.
As leaders, we are called to have the same heart that Apollos had, which allowed him, with all the eloquence, knowledge, fervor, instruction and boldness – to learn the “next thing in God.”
What is God Doing Today?
The Protestant Reformation (largely spearheaded by Martin Luther) emphasized on the priesthood of all believers. While there were great benefits arising from that movement, there has remained a general dichotomy between “the sacred and the secular” – where believers took the Sunday/Church activities to be “sacred” and the Monday-Saturday activities as “secular”.
The result of that is an incomplete Church with only one dimension – the priestly dimension and lacking in the kingly dimension. This is akin to the Levitical priesthood which only possessed a priestly mantle and lacked the kingly mantle. So much so that the Levites didn’t need to own any land.
This is in contrast to the Melchizedek priesthood which contains both the kingly and priestly mantles. Like our LORD Jesus, Melchizedek was both a king and a priest and this is how we are ordained to operate in the earth.
The graphic below shows how the Church has been operating – numerous expressions under the priestly function but devoid of the kingly anointing.
The priest – which was full/populated
God is populating the “king” folder.
However, God is changing this order. He is now “populating” the king folder so that the “corporate man of God” is complete – lacking nothing! One of the ways in which this is manifesting itself is by a rising awareness in the Church that ministry extends beyond the “traditional 4 walls of the Church” into the marketplace. God is raising Kingdom Entrepreneurs that are committed to His will and purpose and who function accurately both as kings and priests.
Trend Analysis
A quick scan of the movement within this space shows the following:
- Rapid Growth of Intra-church business groupings
A good number of churches have started organizing their businesses into business forums and business networks. This was not always the case. An interesting aspect of these forums/networks is that they are open to believers even outside of the originating church community. It is interesting listening to the stories of ordinary believers and how God has used them in this space.
- Non-denominational business movements
Numerous Christian incubators and accelerators training thousands of entrepreneurs in integrating faith into their businesses. A good number of them are gaining recognition within the entrepreneurship. The term “Kingdom Business” which was foreign a few years ago is now becoming commonplace.
- Christian Venture Capitalists
Many investors are already challenged to think through what impact their wealth has on the investee companies. Today you have numerous billionaires and millionaires seeking to bring glory to God by their investments. A key motivation for these capital holders is eradication of poverty, the creation of new employment opportunities and provision of benefit to others as supported by sustainable and profitable growth of Kingdom Enterprises.
Driven Entreprenuer talks about the move of God that is happening now in Africa:
Africa as an “industry”
2 Samuel 6:11 KJV
[11] And the ark of the LORD continued in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months: and the LORD blessed Obed-edom, and all his household.
The Ark of God’s presence has moved to Africa!
In the video below, Henry Kaestner, a foremost Kingdom Investor and founder of Faith
Insights from this video:
He is asked, “What is the best industry someone can get into in today’s world?” – His answer: AFRICA!
A marketplace is all about and producers and consumers and that makes Africa an industry:
- Africa is home to 9 of the 20 fastest growing economies in the world;
- Only 0.5% of the world’s private equity and venture capital is coming into Africa;
- Africa is the only continent with a growing